Big block in Big D was goaltending

Upon further review, the NBA said Jermaine O’Neal’s blocked shot – which set up Stephen Curry’s game-winning shot in Dallas on Tuesday – should have been called goaltending and the basket allowed.

With the game tied 120-120 in overtime, O’Neal blocked a high-arcing Monta Ellis layup. The Mavericks were adamant that goaltending should be called, but officials ruled it a clean block and play continued. Curry took the ball downcourt, dribbled off time and then sank a game-winning 21-footer with a tenth of a second to play.

Wednesday, the NBA said in a statement that the referees had erred and that Ellis’ shot should have counted.

“Upon review at the league office, we have found that a shot taken by Dallas’ Monta Ellis with 16.0 seconds remaining in overtime was on the way down when initially contacted and ruled a block by Golden State’s Jermaine O’Neal, and should have been ruled a goaltend,” said Rod Thorn, the league’s president of basketball operations. “The exact trajectory of the ball when touched was impossible to ascertain with the naked eye, and the play was not reviewable.”